Shorty

What a weekend! We packed a ton in - It was tiring but wonderful also. Between Saturday and Sunday we packed in 5 softball events (pictures for Logan and Taylor, a game for each, and a bonus practice for Logan in the drizzling rain), not to mention a trip to the batting cages and some front yard pitching practice. We also took a very pleasant bike ride last night and managed to get in a couple of movies over the weekend too ( School of Rock and the Wilderness family). A much needed nap or two got us through - and lemme tell ya - those naps felt great - really - have you ever had a great nap? Isn't it awesome?

Taylor's league doesn't keep score, but she and the team had a ton of fun. Despite being scared of backlash, I said a prayer with all the girls before we took the field. No one has said anything yet.

Logan's team won their first game 10-0 and they looked great. Logan wasn't satisfied with her own performance - she's so tough on herself. She wants to be a hero to her freinds in the worst way.

On a related note - here's a piece of an email I sent to her coach today...


I haven't been able to figure out why Logan has had such trouble with pitching. Something has looked unnatural with her motion and I couldn't seem to coach her through it - until last night when we were practicing. You're not going to believe this, but somehow I've allowed her all this time to pitch with the wrong foot forward. So she's been trying to release the ball from her right hand with her right foot forward. So after we finally figured it out and corrected it, wouldn't ya know the kid can throw strikes.
Granted - she's not ready for a game situation (probably more mentally unprepared than anything - she can be a stress case) but I think with a little more practice and some added confidence she may actually be able to pitch. We were pitching to imaginary batters - counting balls and strikes - and she actually struck out more than she walked.
I guess those minor details are pretty important - ha!

She has another game tonight.

Rylie is a gorgeous awesome baby, and her momma does a fantastic job caring for her, as she has with the others. I'll be the first to confess that she does all the "heavy lifting" with the babies. I get to be the fun guy a lot of the time, but her investment in the hard things and the less glamorous are so important and so genuinely loving. I'm lucky to have her and so are the kids!

I treasure the time I spend with my family.

Spring is here

It's always weird for me to "blog." Maybe it's the whole "talkin to myself" thing. Anyhow, life is busy as usual. Rylie is already 6 months old and I'm realizing that we've taken very few pictures and very little video. I guess the good news is that we've spent lots of time being with her even if we weren't capturing it on film. I hope she'll forgive us later. I'll make an effort to get more footage of her 2nd half year...

I'm coaching Logan's and Taylor's softball teams this year. That is a mix of emotions. As the "manager" of Taylor's team, I feel a great responsibility to make the team a fantastic experience for the girls. I view it as much more than softball. I think the experience also plays into social skill development, perceptions of sports, competition, adults, men, winning, losing, etc.

I want them to have exposure to a healthy example of each of those things. No pressure there! And I want them to have fun - it seems like they are. In addition to that kid of pressure, there's also the pressure of being the central coordinator for all the parents. So far there's no major problems - it's mostly self inflicted stress. I'm going to say a short prayer with the girls before our first game. I'm a little anxious about what the reactions from parents might be. We'll see.

Being an assistant coach for Logan's team is much "simpler." I don't have to be THE guy. I can still be a lot of those other things, but somebody else is the focus, and fortunately I really like the guy too.

The books I've been reading for the Leading Edge class have been phenomenal as is the small group that meets in between to discuss them. I'm glad to know these folks. They are each leaders with big plans to impact the world. Collectively we have spectacular potential (by God) to make a huge difference. When you consider that we're just a small handfull of people in the Leading Edge Classes, who are a small group within a pretty large church that has many many more of these types in it, and that we are just one healthy active church among many in stark County, Ohio, America, etc. it's encouraging to think what could happen if we all just get and stay focused on changing the world and bringing Heaven to Earth!

Wow - that was fun!